


The Power Of Potential

by ClemPrime13



Category: RWBY
Genre: Class Change AU, Delayed Fall AU, F/M, Jaune is expelled, Minor OCs for the Vale Council
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:55:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29422668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClemPrime13/pseuds/ClemPrime13
Summary: After the Breach, Vale's Council takes the opportunity to clamp down on Ozpin's "Creative Admissions." To keep his place as headmaster, and retain his ability to continue the shadow war with Salem, Ozpin is forced to expel Jaune. However, Ozpin has a plan. A plan to show the Council and the enemies that lurk in the shadows... the power of potential.
Relationships: Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	The Power Of Potential

Ozpin had no idea what to expect as he walked into Vale's city hall for an emergency session of the Council. He rolled his eyes, emergency session, please. No doubt it would just be Cedric Winchester complaining about how the Breach had affected Dust deliveries to the upper class quarter, or something else that was equally irrelevant.

Ozpin had no idea how wrong he was.

His first clue was when he was greeted by Cedric's incredibly smug personal assistant.

"Why, Professor Ozpin, I've never known you be late to a Council meeting?"

With a fluid motion, Ozpin took his pocket watch out and checked the time. It was five minutes before the meeting was supposed to start. That meant they had either changed the time on him to make him look bad, or they hadn't wanted the chance to talk without him there. Neither option was particularly appealing.

Discretion was the better part of valor, and Ozpin knew very well how to pick his battles, and verbal jousting with this glorified day planner wasn't one of them. "My mistake, I suppose."

Before the assistant could respond, Ozpin swept into the conference room to find the rest of the Council waiting for him, not to mention the temperature dropping from how chilly the stares he received were.

Councilman Kodiak, the Faunus councilor, usually greeted Ozpin warmly, even in the most dire of circumstances. Which meant that this was definitely _not good._ It didn't help that Ozpin spotted that his claws were out, which Kodiak did subconsciously if he was bracing for a fight.

Likewise, Councilman Hunter and Councilwoman Magnolia wore grim expressions, their respective dark green and cream colored suits adding a marginal bit of contrast.

Then there was Cedric Winchester.

Like the others, there was a frigid stare etched upon his face, but the corner of his mouth was just barely quirked up into a smile. That was most certainly not a good sign.

"My apologies for my tardiness," Ozpin said, "I was coordinating repair efforts with General Ironwood."

"We've been looking into why the Breach occurred, and if we could've done anything on our end to prevent it." Magnolia said, "And we've noticed some... _discrepancies._ "

Ozpin turned towards the gray haired woman, "I don't think there's anything we could've done to prevent it, and without the intervention of teams RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY, it would've been an unmitigated disaster."

"No one's doubting your students' commitment, Oz." Hunter said, "But it's RWBY and JNPR that are concerning."

Ozpin's eye twitched.

"How was team RWBY even on the mission that put them in contact with the White Fang?" Kodiak asked, a slight growl entering his voice as he mentioned the terrorist organization, "The Mountain Glenn mission was only available to second year students, was it not?"

"That is correct, but team RWBY had been involved in an incident with the White Fang the previous week, and I believed that they deserved that chance to follow through on their efforts."

Cedric narrowed his eyes, he smelled blood in the water, "Did you know that the Fang would be at Mountain Glenn?"

Ozpin shook his head, "Not at all, I simply knew that Miss Schnee wouldn't allow her team to break rules unless there was a good reason for it."

"So, you just allowed it." Kodiak said, his disdain apparent.

"And I was right." Ozpin said, "If team RWBY hadn't run into the White Fang, then the Breach would've been so much worse, as according to them, there were bombs on the train that broke into Vale's main square."

"Be that as it may, Ozpin, but there are rules for a reason." Hunter said, scratching at his balding head, "For example, why was team JNPR allowed to retask themselves?"

"The Breach was in progress." Ozpin said, incredulity slipping into his voice, "Would you have stayed away back in your Academy days, Hunter?"

"That's not the point!" The older man snapped, "The point is that the village that they were supposed to go to didn't respond when I attempted to call them. In fact, I just received word from the Hunters that I dispatched that the village was wiped out."

Ozpin winced, that was unfortunate, but without JNPR intervening at the Breach, things would've been worse.

"As you know, Ozpin, information on your students' transcripts is public knowledge." Cedric continued, "Would you like to tell us what we found out about Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc, or should we just tell you?"

Ozpin adjusted his glasses, "I'd imagine that you found that Miss Rose was admitted two years early."

Cedric tapped the table insistently, "And Mr. Arc?"

Blast, they had him over a barrel. Nothing to do now but admit it. "His transcripts are fraudulent."

"Why was this allowed, Ozpin? Why did you even let the boy in the damn door?" Kodiak seethed, "To inflate your enrollment numbers?"

"That's ridiculous." Ozpin asserted.

"Ozpin, we'll be blunt, this needs to stop." Magnolia said. "Your _creative admissions practices_ have ended in heartbreak before. Don't you remember Gretchen? We do."

All four of them stood up, and passed judgment. "Professor Ozpin, it is clear to us that two of your _creatively_ admitted students are to blame, in part, for the Breach." Cedric pronounced, "As such, you must immediately cease your liberal interpretation of Beacon's attendance policies and make an example of either Miss Rose or Mr. Arc, or we will take steps to replace you. This council meeting is adjourned."

Ozpin remained seated as the rest of the Council left, as he dared to hope that they didn't realize their mistake.

They forgot to specify what sort of example he was suppose to make of his students.

* * *

Jaune was decidedly nervous. To his knowledge there had been nothing that he had done to cause them to be called to Ozpin's office. Had Yang and Nora destroyed the cafeteria with another hour long arm wrestling match?

Ever perceptive of her partner's moods, the ones he wore on his sleeve, anyways, Pyrrha offered some comfort, "It will be alright, Jaune. I'm sure Professor Ozpin just wants to thank us for our part in the Breach."

Nora rolled her eyes, "Yeah, even if team CFVY stole the show."

Weiss shook her head, "I'm inclined to agree, Nora. I mean, playing atrocious rock music over a Bullhead's PA system? Could they possibly get any more tacky?"

As they walked into Ozpin's office, Ren was the first to notice it. The grim look on Ozpin's face, the paperwork on his desk... nothing good was going to happen here today.

Ozpin gave them a few moments more to joke around, and waited for the assembled students to calm down to the point where they would listen to him. "Thank you for coming, and thank you for your efforts in containing the Breach event. Your actions prevented a grievous loss of life, and I am proud of each and every one of you."

Pyrrha turned to Jaune and beamed, her hand resting lightly on his back, "See, Jaune? It's just like I told you."

Ozpin pressed his lips together. This was not going to be pleasant. "Unfortunately, the Vale Council does not see it that way, and are taking the opportunity to force me to stop using my... _creative admissions practices_ , for lack of a better term."

Jaune felt a fist clench around his heart, without Ozpin's ability to impose his whims on admissions, he probably would never have made it in the door.

Ozpin continued, "In addition, they are demanding that I make an example of one of my _creatively admitted_ students."

Ruby's eyes grew wide with panic. That meant her. "No! You can't make me leave!"

Weiss hugged herself, even though she would never admit it to anyone ever, Ruby truly was her bestie better than the restie, and the prospect of having to watch her leave Beacon expelled, because of _politics_ made her skin crawl. "You... might not have a choice, Ruby."

Ozpin sighed, "No, Miss Rose, you will not be leaving this Academy just yet."

Pyrrha was the first to put the pieces together, and reacted... _poorly_. "No! You can't do this! He's gotten so much better the past few months!"

Sensing a threat to those she considered family, Nora instinctively reached for Maghnild, only to remember that they were wearing their school uniforms, and didn't have their weapons. "Sure, Jaune faked his transcripts, but you let him in anyways! So what?" Nora shouted.

Ozpin looked at Jaune, "I'm sorry, Mr. Arc, but due to your fraudulent transcripts, I must expel you to meet the Council's demands." He pushed his glasses up onto his nose, " _However_ , due to the fact that this is due to outside forces, and not as a result of error on your part, this does leave you grounds for an appeal."

Hope lived again, and Jaune seized it with both hands, with no hesitation. "What do I have to do?"

"You will have to pass a rigorous multi-stage initiation, called The Crucible. Not only will your combat ability be tested, but your knowledge of history, and the creatures of Grimm. I am sorry to say, that if you attempted to undertake this now, you would surely fail."

Jaune deflated, "So, that's it then? Because I'm not ready for this now, I'm just done?"

Ozpin shook his head emphatically. "You may attempt the Crucible up to one year from your expulsion date. Normally it would be up to you to find a Hunter willing to train you, but I have already found one."

Jaune perked up again, "Really? Who?"

Ozpin took a drink of his hot chocolate, then leaned forward.

"Me."

Yang whistled, "Damn, that's not something you see every day."

"But, who will run the school while you're out training Jaune?" Weiss asked, "With the Council breathing down your neck, now doesn't seem like the best time to take a... sabbatical, Professor."

Ozpin turned to Ruby, "Miss Rose, if you ever have to deal with politics, do make sure to take your partner's advice." He turned his attention back to Weiss, "Professor Goodwitch is more than capable of handling the Council for a time, and Signal Academy is willing to lend us two of their professors that half your team is very familiar with."

Ruby jumped for joy, despite the circumstances, "Yeah, dad and Uncle Qrow!"

Ozpin smiled, "Indeed, I've been meaning to shake things up, anyways. Now, I need to go over some things with Mr. Arc. Paperwork and such."

In other words, he wanted them all to get out.

"Hold on, when does Jaune leave?" Pyrrha asked.

"Tomorrow morning, bright and early." Ozpin said, "As will I."

Yang snapped her fingers, "In that case, we're having dinner tonight, all of us. It's gonna be the last time that we're going to be together for a while, and we're going to savor it!"

As team RWBY with Ren and Nora in tow left, Pyrrha hesitated, she wanted to spend as much time as possible with Jaune before he left.

"Miss Nikos, I appreciate wanting to spend as much time as possible with your partner before his departure, but I must ask you to leave."

Jaune met Pyrrha's eyes, saw the almost indescribable sadness in them, and finally figured it out. Why she had always been willing to help him, why she had always been ready to stand by him, even during the Cardin incident. And he remembered how they had danced at the Beacon Ball, how they had only stopped when they shut off the music...

He had been an idiot, and he was now acutely aware of how little time they had.

"Alright, Professor." Pyrrha said. Her gaze lingered on Jaune for a brief moment more before leaving Ozpin's office.

Jaune frowned, "Of all the people here you could train personally, why me?"

"Because I hate nothing more than wasted potential," Ozpin explained, "And you have too much of it to risk not cultivating it."

Jaune blinked, that didn't sound right at all. "How do you figure that, Professor?"

"Do you remember your... _incident_ with Mr. Winchester during the trip to Forever Fall?"

Jaune shuddered, that was something he was probably not going to forget for longer than he cared to admit. "Yeah, but what does that have to do with-"

Ozpin cut him off, "Do you remember a moment that there seemed to be a blinding light emanating from you?"

Jaune nodded, "Yeah, he tried to punch me, but then my Aura got really bright and then he was on the ground instead of me."

Ozpin paused for effect, this was definitely going to have an impact on Jaune. "I believe that you unconsciously activated your Semblance."

"Wait... my Semblance?"

Ozpin simply nodded, "But that's a topic for another day. Now, let's get this paperwork done so you can spend the rest of the day with your friends."

Jaune then subjected himself to the mountain of paperwork that came with his situation. Acknowledgement that yes, he knew he was being expelled, a declaration of intent to attempt the Crucible sometime in the next year, and a statement that any possessions that he didn't take with him would be sent to the address on file.

"That should be everything, Mr. Arc." Ozpin said, "Please use your remaining time here wisely."

Jaune walked out, and Ozpin took another drink of his hot chocolate. There were still things that needed to be arranged before their departure tomorrow. He needed to actually inform Glynda about the situation,he needed to ask Ironwood to come up with some sort of reason to postpone the Vytal Tournament for a few months, and he needed to have provisions for at least four months delivered to his retreat.

He reached for his Scroll to start making the calls, no time like the present.

* * *

Since Pyrrha was only marginally better than Weiss in the kitchen, she had abandoned the task of preparing dinner to those more suited to the task, like Yang and Ren. Instead, she headed back to JNPR's dorm room, hoping that Jaune was there. Every remaining moment that she could spend with him was precious, and she didn't want to waste a single one.

When she got to the door, she noticed it was ajar. She almost went in, until she heard a voice from inside.

"Look, dad, I'm doing the Crucible, whether you think I have to or not!"

Jaune was talking to his dad, that was rare by itself, and Pyrrha didn't want to stop it. She had never pushed him in to talking about it, but she had gotten the idea that Jaune was treated as the runt of the litter, so to speak.

_"Who's going to train you, Jaune? Because I'm certainly not, not so you can throw your life away in that death trap!"_ Pyrrha started to tremble. Other Hunters saw the Crucible as a death trap?

"Ozpin is going to train me himself."

There was dead silence from the other end of the line for a few seconds, before Mr. Arc spoke again, _"You'll have to try a better lie, Jaune. Why would Ozpin waste his time on you?"_

Pyrrha's heart broke. Were all of Jaune's friends, and herself of course, the first people who had ever believed in him?

"It's not a lie, dad!" Jaune snarled, "Ozpin hates wasted potential, so he's making sure that the Council's backroom crap doesn't make mine go to waste."

_"Fine, Jaune. Do whatever you think you need to do, and when you fail and come home, that WILL be the end of it, am I understood?"_

Pyrrha clamped her hand over her mouth to keep any sound from escaping, no no no, that couldn't happen! If that happened, Jaune would be lost to her forever!

"Well, it's a good thing I'm not going to fail then." Jaune declared, "I can't let Pyrrha down."

Mr. Arc hummed, and his tone of voice became softer, " _You need to tell her how you feel before you leave, Jaune."_ Pyrrha froze. What did he just say?

"Is that a good idea, dad?" Jaune asked, "I mean, I leave tomorrow, how is that fair to her?"

_"Take it from someone who's seen others make the mistake you're about to make. Live without regrets. They're too heavy for us Hunters to keep too many around."_

The call terminated after Jaune said good bye, and he resumed what Pyrrha could only assume was packing. After counting to five to build some semblance of courage, she opened the door and walked in.

On Jaune's bed was a traveler's pack, it was clear that he was planning on packing light, and having Beacon ship everything else to his parents. Resting by his pack was his Pumpkin Pete hoodie. He was wearing a t-shirt in place of it.

"Oh, hey Pyrrha!" He said, his smile just barely failing to hide the turmoil he was going through, "Is dinner ready already?"

Pyrrha shook her head, "No, I just..." _want to spend every possible moment until you leave with you_ "I just wanted to check on you, see how you're doing."

Jaune chuckled before rubbing the back of his head, "I'm... okay and not okay at the same time. On one hand, I have to leave everyone because of backroom political nonsense, but on the other, I've got a chance to come back. I'm gonna do it Pyrrha, I'm gonna make it back to everyone." _I'm going to make it back to you._

Pyrrha bit back tears, that could come later, would come later, but now wasn't the time for it. "Good, we'd be lost without you." _I'd be lost without you._

They lapsed into silence, neither of them quite sure what to say. Eventually, Pyrrha couldn't handle the silence any longer. "So, why aren't you packing your hoodie?"

"I wanted to talk to you about that, actually." Jaune said, "Whatever training Ozpin is going to put me through is probably going to be super intense, and I don't want to risk it being damaged. So... could you look after it for me?"

If Pyrrha's jaw had not been connected to her head, it would've hit the floor. The only thing more precious to Jaune than that hoodie was Crocea Mors.

"I know that you could probably get me hundreds like it from the Pumpkin Pete guys, but this one... it's special, you know?" Jaune said.

Her hands ghosted across the fabric before she picked it up, "I do know, Jaune. It's special, just like you."

She looked back at Jaune to see him fighting back tears, "I'm so sorry, Pyrrha. I only figured out how you feel today, if I had known how you felt, I never would've wasted so much time chasing Weiss, I would've asked you to the dance properly-"

Pyrrha placed a finger on his lips. "It's okay, Jaune. Every moment that we ever spent together is precious to me, no matter the context."

Of course it was at that moment that Jaune's Scroll went off. He fished it out of his pocket, clearly annoyed that something had interrupted them, "It's Nora, she says that dinner's ready. Ooh, homemade pizza!"

Pyrrha smiled, "That'll be grand." She looked at he hoodie in her hands, and without even a iota of hesitation, put it on.

Jaune froze in place. "Pyrrha, you... we need to talk more before tomorrow. Meet me on the roof later?"

The roof. Where it had all began, in a way.

Pyrrha smiled, "Of course, Jaune, now let's go eat." She extended her hand to him.

Jaune would've had to be a fool to not take her hand, and he didn't feel like being a fool today

* * *

It still didn't feel real.

With everyone sitting around the table in the communal kitchen for student use, making a point to not let anything be different from any other time in the mess hall, it didn't feel like Jaune had been expelled, or that he would be leaving tomorrow to go train until some date within a year.

Any onlooker would just see eight Hunters in training enjoying each other's company, but they knew better. It was the little things that gave it away.

The sadness in the eyes of Ruby Rose and Nora Valkyrie, the two of them never quite used to having to hide their emotions before.

Yang Xiao Long laughing just a bit too loudly at her own jokes, hoping to provide everyone shelter from the pain they were all feeling.

Lie Ren becoming impossibly still multiple times through the meal, using his Semblance to mitigate the sorrow of soon having to bid farewell to the only man that he deemed worthy of the title of Brother.

In some ways, seeing Blake Belladonna without a book in her hand was the most telling of all, as she was perfectly capable of holding a conversation with her nose in a book.

Out of all of them, only Weiss Schnee, trained in reading body language as she was, noticed that Jaune and Pyrrha were holding hands underneath the table. Throughout the evening she had to excuse herself more times than she would care to admit to regain her composure.

Soon enough, Jaune and Pyrrha excused themselves, still holding hands as they went, leaving the rest of their friends behind to deal with the aftermath.

"It's not fair!" Nora said, tears leaking from her eyes, "They finally admitted how they feel and now Jaune has to leave!"

Weiss sniffed, dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve, "You're right Nora. It isn't fair."

Blake shook her head, "It just seems so cruel, for them to finally reallze, and then only have this night together before he leaves."

"It would be far crueler not to." Ren said flatly.

"Ren's right." Ruby said, "Especially now, they have to make sure not to regret anything they did or didn't do."

"You hit the nail on the head, Rubes," Yang said, "The best thing we can do is to stay out of their way."

* * *

Jaune sighed as he sank to the ground, his back against the wall, facing the setting sun. Pyrrha settled in beside him, wrapping her arms around one of his. "It's certainly shaping up to be a beautiful night tonight, isn't it?" Pyrrha said.

Jaune couldn't help but agree, coming up to the roof had been s good idea, for more than the nostalgia. The sky was clear, it didn't seem like it was going to get very chilly, and it certainly didn't hurt that Pyrrha was there with him.

"Yeah, it is." Jaune said.

Neither of them wanted to say anything about tomorrow. Was it inevitable? Yes, it was, and sooner or later they would have to face reality.

"You know that I'm going to worry about you, right?" Pyrrha said.

With that single question, the spell was broken, and reality came rushing back to fill the cracks. Jaune slipped his free hand into one of hers, smiling as his thumb brushed across the calluses left behind from years of training. He breathed in, and his proximity to Pyrrha let him actually smell her for the first time. She smelt of cinnamon and leather oil. Had she been doing equipment maintenance earlier?

"Yeah, I know." Jaune said, "It'll be fine, though. I doubt Ozpin will let me get too far over my head."

Pyrrha hummed noncommittally before laying her head on Jaune's shoulder, "Do you know where Ozpin's going to be taking you to train?"

Jaune shook his head, "Nope. For all I know there won't be any Scroll service, either."

Pyrrha's face fell, "That's probably for the best. No distractions." She tightened her grip on his arm as venomous what-ifs bounced around her mind. He could get hurt, or die, and she wouldn't hear about it for _weeks_ at best. Or even worse, he could meet someone out there, and then weeks later, she could get a _Dear Jane_ letter...

"Hey, Pyr?" Jaune asked, "Can you promise me something?"

Outwardly, Pyrrha perked up immediately, but anyone who knew her well enough could see the pain in her eyes. "Of course, Jaune. What is it?"

Jaune took a deep breath before continuing, "While I'm gone, can you make sure to figure out what makes you happy that isn't me?"

Pyrrha blinked at him. Twice. "Excuse me?"

Jaune quickly explained, "It's just that ever since we came to Beacon, you've used basically all of your free time to help me, whether it's helping me with homework, or training me, you never really took time for you."

Pyrrha opened her mouth to protest, and promptly shut it, as Jaune was completely correct. She had been so focused on helping him that she had completely forgotten to take time for herself. "Okay, Jaune." She said, "I'll make sure to do that."

Jaune let out a sigh of relief, he had seen more than enough of his sisters' relationships go up in flames to know what to avoid, and Pyrrha effectively living only for him was a big red flag, especially with the forced distance that they would have to endure. He looked back at the sunset, and saw that it was nearly gone. "We should probably go back, it's getting late." He said.

Pyrrha further tightened her grip on Jaune's arm. "No." She asserted, "Just... little bit... longer."

Jaune was half convinced that she was faking falling asleep, but in the end, decided that it didn't matter. He extricated his hand from their handhold and pulled out his Scroll to set an alarm, only to find a message from Ozpin.

_"Our Bullhead leaves at eight AM tomorrow, do try to be on time. Although I'll understand if you're a little late."_

Jaune almost said something to Pyrrha, but when he turned to look at her, he could only smile softly. She had relinquished her grip on his arm and settled in his lap. He gently brushed her hair out of her face, and his smile turned into a slight frown. She wasn't wearing her crown. The only time she didn't wear it was when they were in their dorm room, she would even wear it to class, and she had worn it at the dance. Was it part of her contract with the Pumpkin Pete guys?

"You know, you look more beautiful without the crown." Jaune whispered, not caring if Pyrrha heard him or not, "More like... you. The real you, not the image everyone expects."

With the alarm on his Scroll set, he slipped his hand into one of hers, a smile returning to his face as she returned the pressure from his grip. With nothing more to delay tomorrow's reckoning but time, Jaune let sleep take him.

* * *

The only downside to Jaune's Scroll alarm was that it resulted in a _rather_ rude awakening, and of course, a _rather_ familiar scream.

"AHHH!"

Despite being awakened by both his Scroll alarm and Pyrrha's unholy screech, Jaune could only laugh as he switched off his Scroll alarm. "At least there's no metal around, right, Pyrrha?"

She turned her head just so she could pout at him, then snuggled back into him. "Five more minutes."

Jaune glanced at his Scroll, he didn't have five more minutes. He was already cutting it close. "I need to finish getting my stuff together, Pyr."

Pyrrha let out a small groan of protest before getting up and offering Jaune a hand up. Which he took, grabbing her forearm instead of her hand, just like she taught him. Their eyes met, and each could see the pain the other. They both knew that their eleventh hour confession would only make the events that had to occur in minutes all the more painful.

And they both knew that they didn't care, because now, even though they would be separated for longer then either of them cared to admit, they were united, and no one could take that from them.

"I'll meet you at the airfield, Pyrrha." Jaune forced out, "I have to go get my things."

Pyrrha had half a mind to ignore him and stay with him until the end, but in the end, nodded her assent.

As he returned to the team JNPR dorm room, Jaune quickly realized the difference between yesterday and now. Yesterday had felt like a dream, a dream that he would never wake up from, thereby preventing time from progressing any further.

Today was simple, stark reality. It took Jaune approximately three minutes to make it back to his dorm room. Much too fast in his opinion, but there was no way to slow it down. Time would move on with or without him, and there was no point in trying to fight it.

"I'll be back." Jaune muttered as he strapped on his armor, "I'll be back, better than ever. Nothing's gonna stop me."

As he shouldered his pack, and attached Crocea Mors to his belt, there was a knock at the door. Jaune rolled his eyes, it was just as well that he was ready to go with minutes to spare.

He opened the door to find Cardin Winchester.

"Cardin, I literally do not have the time for your crap." Jaune said.

Cardin held his hands up in defense, "I'm not here for that, Arc." He shuffled his feet for a second as he figured out what order he needed the words to go in, "I... overheard what's happening."

Jaune scowled, "Well, at least you'll get top marks in intelligence gathering in Safety and Security."

Cardin winced, "Okay, I deserve that. Look, as far as I'm concerned, the Council is full of shit, and that includes my uncle. You might not have earned your way in like the rest of us, but you still earned your spot here. I mean, hell, you saved my life! When the rest of my team ran for it, you still..."

Cardin broke off, obviously not wanting to do something that he considered unmanly, like crying. Jaune stared right at him, and asked him a question. "Cardin, can you do something for me?"

He shrugged, "I guess I do owe you one. Lay it on me."

"Try to be a better person."

Cardin rolled his shoulders, "So, just more of what me and my boys have been doing since Forever Fall? Sure, we'll just kick it up a notch."

"Alright." Jaune said as he walked past the former bully, "I'll see you when I see you."

Once again, Jaune was reminded of just how precious little time he had left at Beacon, as he arrived in the entrance hall in the space of only a few more minutes. There he found, Ozpin, Pyrrha, the rest of his team, and all of team RWBY, all dressed in their combat gear.

"Ah, Mr. Arc." Ozpin said, "Are you ready?"

He glanced at Pyrrha as she slipped her hand into his once more, intent on making use of every last second they had. "No, I'm not."

Ozpin smiled one of his knowing smiles, that made it seem like he knew exactly what you were thinking, but at the same time, had so much sadness behind it. "Be that as it may, it is time."

They began the short walk to the airfield, much too short in Jaune's opinion, and quickly found themselves in front of the Bullhead.

Jaune turned to the others, "Well, this is it. Take care of yourselves."

As much as they would try to hide it, all of them were crying, even Ren, the most stoic among them had tears in his eyes.

"Dammit, you guys! Why are we all crying?" Nora asked, "This isn't goodbye forever, Jaune's just not going to be here for awhile. Cause he's gonna come back, and he's gonna kick the Crucible's ass!"

That got a smile out of everyone, but the moment had come, and there was no sense in delaying it further. "Pyrrha, you need to let go." Jaune said, his voice cracking.

"Not yet." Pyrrha said, spinning him around so he was facing her, then she paced one hand on his cheek and one on his chest, then recited the chant that Jaune would never forget.

"It is by passing that we gain immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee." She drew in a shuddering breath as she let her hands drop from him. "Go, Jaune, become a paragon of virtue and glory. Then come back to me."

"I will, I promise." Jaune said, "And an Arc always keeps his word."

With that, Jaune turned and boarded the Bullhead, followed by Ozpin. "Alright, guys! Jaune's gonna be working to get better, so we have to do the same!" Ruby crowed. A chorus of affirmations followed, and they returned to the school.

All but Pyrrha.

As she watched the Bullhead take off, and fly towards the rising sun, she knew deep in her heart that everything would be alright. In might only take a couple of months, it might take a year, but Jaune would be back, stronger than ever.

He promised, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this is long overdue. Over a year of writing fanfic for RWBY and I'm just now writing an Arkos fic. About time, right?
> 
> So, this isn't going to be just a Jaune story. Yes, I know it's a cliche "Jaune gets kicked out but he comes back a badass" story. Everyone is going to be in character, no BS here. That being said, It's a Pyrrha story too. She's got her own arc (heh) to follow, and her own journey of self-discovery to undertake apart from Jaune, just as Jaune has his own journey apart from her.
> 
> I'm not tagging any side ships at this time, because I'm letting how the story flows dictate that. I apologize if there ends up being a ship you detest.
> 
> Any and all feedback is appreciated.


End file.
